Stop, Drop, and Trail

I ventured up north this weekend to pick up some side work, visit my nephew, and to commission my Dad to help me with an oil change. I had some free time this morning, so I sneaked in a quick 10 miles on the D&L Trail beginning in Lehighton and heading south to Bowmanstown and back.

I'd previously explored this section of the trail last year. Sort of. The D&L Trail has several sections where trails run parallel to the Lehigh River on both sides. This happens to be one of them. Last year, I rode the north section, and crossed off the south section today. As you can see, it was a gray and overcast morning, perfect for riding if you don't mind the humidity (I didn't):

That's a pretty nice trail head crossing at PA route 895, complete with a crosswalk and warning lights. I don't remember those being there the last time I rode or drove through here. This actually was the southern end of my trip out and back. I didn't stop to take any pictures along the way because I wanted to see if I could beat Google. It said it would take me 28 minutes to get there. Let's check the tape:

I mean, new bike designed for more speed, how could I not accept the challenge? I had to make use of the drops at least once, right? Truth be told, I still didn't open the new girl to full throttle yet. Anywho, had it been a nicer day, I might have locked the bike up and eaten lunch in Marvin Gardens, not of Atlantic City:

After a brief rest, I began to head back to Lehighton. I love seeing signs like these:

At this point, the trail turns from pavement to fine gravel, which is only a minor detriment to speed. Makes for some interesting bike sounds, too (trust me). Unfortunately, this section isn't the most scenic, with the main highlight being two relatively new bridges built for the Pennsylvania Turnpike:

Eh. At least the bench provides an overlook of the river:

And I guess there are some neat rock formations too. You can also see a better view of the trail:

I briefly went up to high gear on the ride home. Like I said, not much in the way of scenery here, so I didn't mind cruising by as fast as possible. Lehighton has no shortage of hills, so I got to see how she handled the uphill battles, too. Even though the bike was more than up to the task, I was more than ready for a shower by the time I got back.

Some trails, some speed, some hills, not bad for 10 miles. I think I can officially say my new bike is "broken in."